Merry Christmas, Ann
by Raesha Valentine
Summary: This is just a quick Christmas fluff with Ann and Cliff, with a little ZackXCourtney she's my OC. Hope you like it, and Merry Christmas! or any other winter holidays!


_Author's Note:_

_Merry Christmas, all my loyal readers! I was at a Christmas party with my family and I was bored out of my mind, so I decided to write a Christmas fluff! Now, to cut back on confusion, Courtney is an OC of mine. My computer's acting screwy, so I wasn't able to upload the story it went with. For visualization purposes, she's a slim blonde, about 5' 6'', with green eyes, and she's dating Zack, the shipping guy. I love him! hugs Anyway, please review and I'll try to get the story uploaded!_

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"Ann! Table three needs cleared!" I flashed my dad a quick thumbs up and scooped up dirty dishes in my other hand. Sprinting around the bustling tables, I told a couple on my left that I'd be right with them. I pushed the kitchen door open with my foot and relaxed as it closed with a thud, blocking out the sounds of the busy dining room.

Releasing a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, I dropped the dishes into the soapy water. Catching my reflection in a glass, I grimaced. My long red hair was hanging down into my light blue eyes and my freckled face was all red. _Oh well,_ I thought, walking back to the door. _It's not like I'm gonna see Cliff tonight. He's probably celebrating with friends._

"Miss! Oh, miss! I need a refill! Miss!" Squaring my shoulders, I walked over to a pudgy man yelling for service. My name is Ann White. My father owns this Inn, and even though it's Christmas Eve, we're packed, especially the dining room.

"Sir, what can I get you?" I asked, cheerfully. Writind down his order of pork chops and mashed potatoes, I snagged an empty coffee cup on my left. Having been a waitress since I turned five, multitasking is second nature to me. "I'll be back in a minute with your order, sir." I hurried over to Dad and handed him the cup. "Dad, I'm swamped! I don't think I can handle all these people, and its only 8 o'clock!"

Dad nodded, looking worried. "I know, and more people are coming in by the minute!" We both looked up as the bell above the front door rang and Courtney and Zack walked in, hand in hand. They walked over.

"Merry Christmas, Ann!" She wrapped me in a hug and I saw Zack shake hands with Dad. "Wow, you guys are really busy today!" She said, looking around the room. I grabbed her hands, squealing as an idea popped into my head.

"Courtney! We need your help!" I explained our need for more table workers. "If you and Zack help, we might make it through tonight after all!"

Green eyes sparkling, Courtney grinned. "Of course we'll help! Won't we, Zack?" She turned to him, her eyes begging. He sighed and smiled ruefully.

"Well, it's not quite the romantic evening I had planned, but... we can't so no to friends in need, right? Plus, it is the season to be selfless." Courtney squealed happily and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him lightly on the lips.

"Thanks, Zack. Besides, we still have tomorrow!" Dad grunted, looking hard at the coffee pot. Remembering where she was, she giggled sheepishly. "Sorry, Doug. I forgot."

"Yeah, well, you seem to 'forget' a lot." Dad muttered. I rolled my eyes.

"Dad, what are you gonna do when they get married?" Dad groaned, rubbing his temples and both Zack and Courtney turned bright red. Sputtering out protests, they stared intently at their hands. Laughing, I just shook my head. "Guys, you know it's gonna happen. Let's get to work, alright?"

An hour later the place had about fifty more people, half of them already slightly tipsy. Carrying an armful of empty coffee cups, I heard drunken shouts near the register. I looked around for Zack or Dad, but they were still in the kitchen cooking, and Courtney was busy taking orders from a party of eight. Sighing, I dupmed the cups on an empty table and headed towards the shouting. A dark haired man with bloodshot eyes was yelling at a clearly sober mother of two. Her two sons were crying as the man stumbled to his feet towards the woman.

"Excuse me, sir? You need to either sit down or leave." I said, staring at him coolly.

"Oh yeah? So what? Try to stop me, then!" Spit hanging out of his mouth, he took a sluggish step towards me.

"You know very well that I can't forcible remove you, but I will find someone who can." I said calmly, looking around for Zack or Dad. They were still back there, but Courtney had noticed the man and started walking towards us. I jerked my head back to the kitchen. Nodding in understanding, she ran to the kitchen.

"You stupid ho! I don't gotta listen to you!" He raised his fist and took a step towards me, fist flying. I closed my eyes, waiting for the blow and next thing I knew, there was a huge crash. I opened one eye to see the drunk lying in a heap on the floor, Cliff standing over him. My heart skipped a beat, seeing him looking so fierce, so unlike the Cliff I knew. He looked up and saw me watching him. Walking towards me, he reached up and brushed a hair out of my face, sending a jolt through my body.

"Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?" I shook my head, unable to speak. I just stared into his deep brown eyes, feeling slightly breathless. "It's a good thing I came down here when I did. What were you thinking, taking on a drunk guy?! You could have been seriously hurt!"

"But I wasn't." I pointed out, looking at the man. Realizing someone was calling for a waitress, I turned to go back to work. "Thank you, though. I just... I need to get back to work. We're understaffed as it is." I started to walk away when he set his hand on my shoulder.

"Let me help, then. I can watch out for drunks and take orders." He said, his eyes begging. I smiled.

"If you don't mind spending your Christmas Eve working, then I'd love your help." He grinned and we walked to the kitchen. Each of us grabbing a handful of plates, we headed back into the dining room.

With Cliff and Courtney's help waiting on the customers, and Zack helping Dad in the kitchen, the night went by without a problem. The dining room didn't clear until about one, and we weren't done cleaning until about 2:30.

"Wow," Cliff said, stretching out his back. "This really isn't as easy as it looks." I just laughed and carried the last few plates in the kitchen. "So... Ann..."

"Yeah?" I asked, dumping the dishes into the soapy water and grabbing a rag from Dad. Cliff reached over and snagged one out of the sink.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Well, I don't know." I pushed open the door and turned to look at him. "Why?"

Leaning against the doorframe, he grinned. "'Cause I want to spend Christmas with you, if your dad hasn't claimed all your time."

"Oh." I felt my cheeks heat up. "Well, after we open our gifts, we pretty much ignore each other."

"Want to do something tomorrow, then?" He reached over and stroked my cheek. "I'll make it something good, I promise."

"I'd love to," I said, smiling. He grinned and reached over and grabbed my hand. I turned pink and looked down.

"Aww!" I turned and saw Courtney look up from the table she was wiping down. "Hey! You're under the mistletoe!" We looked up, and sure enough, there was a sprig of mistletoe above us.

"Have fun, you two." Zack said, walking past us, holding a sprig identical to the one above our heads and grinning evilly. Courtney walked over to him and took it away from him.

"Zack, you naughty boy!" She said, pulling his face towards her. I looked away from their lip-lock, embarrassed and right into Cliff's eyes.

"Well, this makes things easier for me." Cliff said, pulling me closer to him.

"Really? How?" I asked, feeling dizzy from his nearness.

He lowered his face to mine. "Because now I don't need to think of a reason to do this.." He brushed his lips softly against min, making my knees go weak. I yanked my hand out of his and flung it around his neck, pulling him closer. Blood pounding in my ears, I felt tingles go through my entire body. Courtney clapped and Zack whistled and I think my Dad screamed something. Cliff tugged on my lip softly, pulling away. "Merry Christmas, Ann."

Knees buckling, it was all I could do to remain standing. "Merry Christmas, Cli-" My words were cut off by another kiss, just as sweet as the first.


End file.
